The State Department said Shireen Abu Akleh, the Al Jazeera broadcaster killed in the West Bank in May, was likely hit by shots fired from Israeli military positions.
“The United States has determined that gunfire from the Israeli military was ‘likely responsible’ for the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent and Palestinian-American Shireen Abu Akleh in May, although an examination overseen by the U.S. of the bullet ‘could not reach a definitive conclusion’ on its origin due to the condition of the bullet, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement Monday.
The U.S. Security Coordinator, according to the statement, ‘concluded that gunfire from the I.D.F. (Israel Defense Forces) positions was likely responsible for the death of Shireen Abu Akleh.’ That conclusion came ‘by summarizing both’ the I.D.F. and Palestinian Authority (PA) investigations -- probes to which the U.S. Security Coordinator was granted ‘full access’ over the past several weeks, Price said”. -CNN
The 51-year-old Al Jazeera journalist was wearing a bulletproof vest marked "press”.
According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, ballistic experts determined the bullet was badly damaged, which prevented a clear conclusion.
There will be no justice or accountability. Before the precession even began, Israeli forces stormed inside East Jerusalem’s Saint Joseph’s Hospital where the body was being held, hit and shoved patients and staff, smashed the window of the hearse carrying Abu Akleh’s body to seize a Palestinian flag, and prevented mourners from carrying Shireen’s coffin to her final resting place.
They nearly caused the coffin to fall to the ground after they besieged the pallbearers and funeral attendees.
One clip shows officers shoving a man on crutches to the ground as they ran through the hospital, leading to the victim getting trampled in the chaotic scene.
Officers were also seen firing on the outside grounds of the hospital.
The United States, as it happens, had the chutzpah to pressure Palestinian authorities to conduct a joint investigation with the Israelis.
The U.S. government also claimed that there is “no reason to believe” that the killing was intentional and instead was likely “the result of tragic circumstances”.